Girl from the Forest
by Ilirenelluithauren
Summary: When a girl joins up with Daine and Numair while they're out on a trip, they learn that she has Wild magic as strong as Daine. On top of this Pirate's Swoop is attacked by a strong unknown navy and Prince Roald has gone missing.
1. Chapter 1

Note: This is written as if you haven't read the books and don't know what's going on. This of course means it starts a little more slowly than you'd probably like. Sorry 'bout that. There's also not nearly as much dialogue as I'd like, but it will get better, in theory!

Finally, we're on the road again, Daine thought. It had been ten years since she had been in Galla, her home country, and eleven years since she had been in Cria, the capital. Daine had thought being away from Court would be a nice break from fancy parties and important meeting, and it had been, but when she got to Cria everything had flooded back to her. She remembered when Onua had first hired her (in the very same city at the very same fair), when Cria was the first big city she had seen, when she was shy and had no friends other than the animals. If it hadn't been for her Wild magic which gave her a special bond with animals she would have been totally alone. She remembered…her family.

Daine was twenty-three, with chocolate colored curls that fell to her shoulders. She kept her hair back from her face with a head-scarf and was wearing ragged breeches. She had a soft, full mouth which made her look much more defenseless than she was.

George rode up on to her on his chestnut gelding, Beauty's Prince. "You look relieved. Glad to be away from all of the memories?" he asked in a quiet, gentle tone.

She didn't have time to answer him. A glimpse of something shining in the sun caught her eye at the very edge of her vision. She spun quickly and saw about seven Stormwings headed for them. "Onua, Numair, look!" she cried pointing at the oncoming enemies.

Stormwings are the picture of terror with the head and chest of a human and the wings and claws of a large eagle. The worst of it is their wings and claws of steel. The feathers are sharp, sharp enough to cut, and their talons can rip you to shreds. The Stormwings stench alone brings up terror you didn't know you had.

Daine reached for her bow and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, but she wasn't fast enough. George who didn't have time to draw his sword, flicked one of his many hidden knives into his hand and stabbed the Stormwing just before it attacked Daine.

"Good thing I kept some of my habits as a thief," he called to her as he got another knife ready to throw at the next beast that got within his range.

Daine, with astonishing speed, grabbed an arrow from the quiver on her back, put it to the bowstring, and smoothly loosed, hitting her target in the eye. One of Onua's arrows pierced its shoulder and it dropped. Numair's black magic with white sparks surrounded another Stormwing, destroying it. Beauty's Prince reared and kicked a Stormwing with his flailing hooves. Daine and Onua both shot others as Numair made sure the wounded were dead. Daine looked around and saw only one shrinking into the distance. Mounting a stone into her sling, Daine knocked it unconscious. Onua rode over and trampled it.

Numair and George dismounted and inspected bodies. "These are all males," Numair told the others.

"Which means there are females somewhere nearby," George said. "We need to get away fast before the rest of the flock comes."

"Who will I ride?" Numair asked. Everyone knew he was an awful rider. He had been planning to walk.

"You'll have to ride Cloud," Onua told him.

Numair looked at Daine's chubby, gray mare. They weren't the best of friends. She returned his look with big brown eyes. _I'll carry the stork man_, Cloud told Daine, using her name for Numair since that was what he looked like with such long legs.

"Numair, she says she'll be good," Daine informed her lover. "I'll ride a mountain pony."

They had to wait for Daine to explain to the ponies, which they had bought for the Queen's Riders (a bandit chasing group run by Queen Thayet). She then gave a sorrel mare a lump of sugar and blew into her nose to give the mare her scent as she did with all horses when she first meted them. She jumped onto the mare's back and rode over to Numair.

They all started galloping. Numair bounced all over the place and Daine sent a silent apology to Cloud, who snorted in return.

After galloping for an hour and a half they stopped in Coolspring, a city that would have been a six hour ride from where the Stormwings had attacked them, had they gone at a normal pace. George untacked their sweaty horses while Onua dug into the bags on their pack horses for food. Daine and Numair got water for themselves and the ponies.

They had lunch and rested, too tired to talk, then set out at a walk. Six hours later they stopped for the night in a clearing of trees. They all started their chores. Onua tended to the horses. Daine offered to go hunting and Numair went with her "just for protection." George went to the creek to fish.

They had a dinner of the bass George had caught and the rabbit Daine had gotten. Afterwards, they talked around the fire.

"George, how did you get Alanna to watch Pirate's Swoop for seven weeks?" Onua asked, knowing how much the only female knight, called the Lioness, hated being useless.

Fear and pain filled the common-born baron's eyes. "A spidren's acid web got wrapped around her arm. If it wasn't for her strong Gift she would have been killed, or at least have lost that arm. It would have been eaten away by the acid. She's at home recovering."

Everyone cringed and Onua quickly changed the subject. "Aren't Myles and your mother staying in Pirate's Swoop this summer instead of going to Barony Olau?"

"Aye. Old Maude's sick and Mother's goin' to heal her. Alanna's too weak right now."

Daine had yet to meet the King's Spymaster, but she knew he was the Lioness's adoptive father, as well as George's stepfather. Maybe I'll get to meet him this summer, Daine thought.

After and hour of talking they all turned in, except Numair. "I have to inform Jon about the Stormwings so he can send someone to look for their nests," he explained. Before long the flames of their fire had turned black.

Daine stayed awake, waiting for Numair. "Is all well with Jon and Thayet?"

"As well as can be expected in a war against Immortals. Now, shh," he put his fingers to her lips, keeping her from asking her next question. Then he put his lips to her lips. They didn't sleep much that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Note: I don't know if it's fixed or not now, but I'm sorry for my computer being stupid and taking out all of the paragraph thingies in the first chapter. Hopefully it's fixed now.

The next day the four set out after a cold breakfast. There wasn't much talking; they were all bears in the morning except George, and he knew better than to talk to them before they were fully awake.

Numair suddenly broke the silence saying, "Daine, what did you do with Kitten again?"

Kitten was a nine year old dragon that Daine was taking care of. Her mother had died and left Skysong, which is Kitten's full name, with Daine. "Jon wanted to know if he could use her for the Immortals class he's started for the pages and squires. So I wrote him saying that she would stay. And she wanted to stay with Tkaa." The baby dragon had become good friends with the basilisk.

Numair looked thoughtful.

They rode on until nightfall, and, like the night before, talked around the fire. Numair stayed after again, speaking into the fire. He came back to the others, lying out in their bedrolls, his eyes wide.

"Numair?" Daine whispered.

"That was Tkaa," he said quietly. "Kitten's not with him. He thought we had her."

Daine sat up sharply.

"What does that _mean_?" Onua asked.

Silence followed. No one knew the answer.

"It's that cursed Emporer of Carthak," George growled.

"Kaddar wouldn't do that," Daine said defensively.

"Daine," Numair said, gently patting her arm, "he is better than his uncle, but he's Carthaki. He was raised Carthaki. And he knows how powerful Kitten is. If he was so much better than Ozorne, than this war would have been over by now."

Onua put her head in her hands. "What is this war about?" she asked no one in particular. "Money, power, the joy of killing? You think you get a better ruler, but nothing changes."

"It's about power and land," George said distantly. "The only reason Tortall isn't like that is because we're big enough already, bigger than most of the places around here."

"Carthak is big, too," Daine argued. "Kaddar has a rebellion on his hands and he wouldn't jeopardize the shaky peace treaty." She pointed an accusing hand at George. "You're just holding a grudge against Carthak for something a previous ruler did. And you…" She pointed at Numair. "You're just jealous about the interest Kaddar had in me. Kaddar risked his life several times to help you, me, and everyone else in Carthak."

"Whose side are you on?" George joked.

A noise in the woods scared everyone to their feet. Daine had her bow in her hands in seconds, so did Onua. George had sword drawn and knives ready. Numair didn't need any other weapon than his magic.

"Please, don't hurt me," a small frightened voice squeaked.

A dirty girl walked out of the woods.

George didn't lower his sword. "Who are you and what were you doing in there?" he asked. His voice wasn't gentle.

"My name is Atalaya of Dairtsneg. My parents were killed by immortals and I'm lost." Her blue eyes were wide and her fingers and small mouth shook as she walked out of the woods. Cold sweat ran down her face. The girl was thin and pale, looking about sixteen years old. Her hair was light brown and in messy braids.

"George, put down your sword," Onua said, her voice kinder than usual. "Can't you see she's scared?"

Numair didn't take his eyes off Atalaya, still unsure about her. "Come join us." He indicated that she should take a seat. Sitting himself, he said, "Dairtsneg's near the City of the Gods. That's a long way to come."

"Me and my family were in the Tusaine Mountains when we were attacked by spidrens," Atalaya said grimly. "I just started walking. I found the River Drell and followed it."

After more questioning, Onua took Atalaya to the creek to wash then gave her an extra bedroll.

It took Numair a while to fall asleep, but when he finally did he had a dream. Daine's father, the hunt god Weiryn, visited him. He looked tired and explained that it took a lot of energy to come to the mortal world, even the dream one.

"Protect your friends and my daughter," he said, "for, as you know these, are dangerous times in Tortall. History has been known to repeat itself. Learn from your mistakes. And don't forget to trust others, but do follow your instincts. The human mind is very unpredictable."

Weiryn faded away, but Numair continued to dream. No, Numiar decided, it was more than a dream…


	3. Chapter 3

There was a flash of copper and then a deafening roar of animals: bats, birds, rodents, bears, seals, whales; all screamed in rebellion. The copper disappeared as quickly as it had come, cut off by whomever, or whatever, had made it. The animals quieted, then started running away from the water.

Daine had recognized that shade of copper. "Numair!" she cried.

He was there in a second and Daine explained briefly as she transformed, keeping her head so she could talk and her arm so she could get down. Then, she launched herself off of the platform of Pirate's Swoop; the same one she had been lowered off of in the siege her first year in Tortall. She transformed completely as she fell towards the water.

She sped out to the ship that the copper light had come from in dolphin form. Getting right next to it she stuck her now human head out of the water and listened.

"You cut it off," a low voice growled.

"It was hurting them," a quiet voice said.

"I don't give a damn about the animals," the first voice replied. "You've been more trouble than you're worth—"

"We're winning aren't we?"

"Barely. We'd be marching in there if—hey! A dolphin. The Wildmage!"

Numair's magic filled the area like the copper light had.

George, Onua, Numair, and Daine all woke up at the same time, sweating. They looked at each other, than at Atalaya. She was sleeping peacefully.

By the end of the next day, George and Numair had questioned Atalaya enough that they were more comfortable with her.

That night, just when they were about to douse the fire, it roared up and turned blue. "George, Numair?"

It was Raoul, Commander of the King's Own and friends of George, Numair, Daine, and Onua.

"What is it Raoul?" George asked. His voice carefree, but his face showing that he knew this wouldn't be just a friendly chat.

"Where are you? We need help at Golden Lake! Carthak has a thousand foot soldiers and seventy-five mounted knights. We might be able to handle that, but they have mages and seem to have some griffins."

Daine cut him off saying, "But griffins are peaceful."

"I know Daine, but these are either being controlled or want to fight. I think the Carthakis have some spidrens waiting in the forest as well, so we can't retreat."

"If they have you surrounded how can we get to you," George asked Raoul.

"Get Numair to contact the nearest reinforcements then come…blow them up with your magic or something."

"Raoul, that's not fair," Onua argued. "You can't expect us to gallup all day to reach you then be ready to kill 1,075 people. I know Numair is powerful, but he'd have to use his life force to even get through to you."

"Onua, he turned a man into a tree— but I know he can't do that," Raoul said, his voice annoyed. "Just call for reinforcements and see if you can be ready by the day after tomorrow." He cut off the link.

"We're going to battle?" Atalaya asked, looking nervous.

"Yeah, so get your rest," George replied.


	4. Chapter 4

After Numair called two troops of the King's Own, they went to sleep. The next day they rode hard. They camped near Golden Lake, where the battle was. Although Atalaya had ridden a mountain pony and handled it well, which meant she must have had a lot of strength, she was as exhausted as everyone else.

The next morning they were up an hour before dawn. It would be an interesting fight for them. They would break through the enemy lines, retreat to the back of the camp, then, if they were alright, they would come back up to join the King's Own.

All five of them were on horses, amongst the reinforcements. When the Tortallan soldiers charged, the Carthakis weren't surprised. Despite being hit from the back, the Carthakis were organized and fought well.

Numair, George, Daine, Onua, and Atalaya had a second to prepare because of the soldiers in front of them, but then they were in the thick of the battle. George immediately kicked Beauty's Prince into a jump. Prince tucked his legs under him, then kicked out with his hind legs at the height of his jump. Most men moved a distance away; those who didn't were killed when hit by Beauty's Prince. Daine, Atalaya, Onua, and Numair galloped up to him in the path he had created. The five charged forward. Daine shot an approaching man in the shoulder then pushed on.

"Atalaya!" Onua yelled. Numair took care of the archer shooting at Atalaya.

A mounted night with a sword attacked George. He blocked and cut for the knight's side. The knight backed off quickly. It went on like that, one attacking the other blocking, neither one gaining an advantage.

Meanwhile, Daine was attacked by a mage. She tried to shoot at him, but only missed terribly and had to gasp for breath afterwards. She felt the air around her tighten with the mage's spell. The air around her turned a faintly sparkly color and she could breathe again. The mage broke off and disappeared into the others.

Onua had been about to shoot down a Carthaki archer when she doubled over in pain. It stopped quickly and Numair galloped up, pointing. "Do the Wall of Power."

They started chanting together and a protective wall took form. The enemy mage got someone to help him too. The enemy mages threw power, orange and blue, at their Wall. The magic had no effect on the combined efforts of Onua and Numair so the mages stopped, but soon Onua and Numair both were in great pain.

"Keep the Wall," Numair croaked.

They chanted louder and then threw the Wall at the Carthakis. It didn't reach the mages, but it killed many people just the same.

Suddenly, they heard George cry out in pain. Daine, Atalaya, Onua, and Numair looked toward him.

George had a deep, bloody gash down one side of his face. All of the color left him, leaving him white like a ghost, and he slid from Beauty's Prince. Everyone saw and the fighting paused for just a moment, like the moment before a mighty storm. George landed on his back and jumped up, and in the confusion of the fighting which had begun again, he ran through the already celebrating knight. He remounted Beauty's Prince shakily and the five of them galloped into the camp.

Atalaya rushed George into the healer's tent. The others hurried to find Raoul. He saw the condition they were in and told them to settle themselves in the camp and wait until after the battle to talk with him.

The camp was neat and organized, white tents forming many straight rows, drooping in the dead air. They set up their tents, looked after their horses, laid out their things, and rested until Raoul came for them.

At noon they went to the mess tent and had the ever popular war meal of beans and meat, then met with Raoul.

"Those mages killed about as many men as you brought as reinforcements," the big knight said. "Is there anything you can do?"

Numair nodded. "Dampeners," he said. "Even if the mages lift them it will distract at least one. If they don't, the healers will be useless. The wounded will die."

"Perfect," Raoul said with such a bloodthirsty sound that the others were surprised. "Daine, do you know if there are immortals in the forest?"

"Yes, spidrens, you were right. They'll only attack if needed or if you retreat, so don't forget them," she warned. "I also felt the griffins. I'll talk to them tonight when it's quieter, but I didn't feel a strong resistance in them. They may not be being controlled. It doesn't make any sense though."

Raoul's optimism died. "We still need more people. Onua can you contact the nearest Riders group? They're fast, just what we need." As an afterthought he added, "Buri's group would be best. They have the most experience in real battles."

"You just want to see Buri," Onua accused. Raoul didn't deny it.

They went back to their tents. Atalaya, who had been left out of the meeting, was cleaning her tent.

George was grooming his horse. He had just gotten out of the healer's tent recently or he would have come to the meeting. Onua went over to him. They argued, then Onua gave up whatever they had been fighting about, but tacked up her horse with him. Atalaya saw them ride towards the battle a little later.

Daine went to the tent she and Numair shared and made sure their belongings were neat. Then, when he came in the tent, she told him, "Numair, the animals were fighting twice as hard today than usual. It was distracting. I've never had to fight them that hard."

"Have you ever been in such a dangerous situation? I was worried for you, too."

"Of course I have." There was an awkward pause. "How long are we going to be here?"

"Hopefully not long. I need to look in the palace library for a book that tells about the spell those mages put on Onua and me. I've never been in so much pain."

"You're addicted to libraries," she scolded him.

"I can't help it. I'm a scholar."


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Just a little filler. Sorry it's so short.

Two weeks later, Daine opened the door to the rooms she shared with Numair in the palace. He was sitting at his desk, translating a spell, leaning over it in a tensed way. His long, black hair was unconfined and getting in his way. Daine walked over to put it up for him. He jumped at her touch, not having noticed her until then.

"Oh, Daine." His dark, sensitive face was flustered, his voice tight. "Will you grab a book off the bookshelf for me? The blue one? Yeah, thanks." Numair thumbed through it eagerly, Daine already gone from his mind. She was about to ask how it was going when George's head popped into the room. Seeing Daine he grinned.

"Geez! Daine, you haven't been helping another barn cat give birth have you? You need to air this place out."

Numair grinned, showing white teeth, but he didn't look up from his desk.

"They should have killed you when you went back into battle," she mumbled.

"They almost did," George said, rubbing his bandaged arm. "Besides, you'd miss me sorely if I died, admit it."

Before Daine could retort, Numair looked up and said in a warm voice, his frustration gone, "What can we do for you George?"

"I was visiting Stefan and heard one of the horses was badly hurt." He looked at Daine.

"I'm coming."

When Daine got to the barn she saw a short woman with bright copper hair. She was short and muscular.

"Alanna!" Daine cried. The women hugged.

"My arm's fully healed," Alanna replied to the question yet to be asked, "but Darkmoon's another story."

Daine had recognized the dun horse. She set straight to work. Darkmoon had a badly broken foreleg. It took Daine hours to fully mend it. When she opened her eyes she was soaked with sweat.

Numair was sitting next to her. He gave her a napkin full of food. She ate it as if she hadn't eaten in days.

"You idiot," Numair growled. "You couldn't have taken even a little break? What possessed you to work so hard for so long?"

"Numair, you're scaring the horses." He was famous for his temper when he was worried about Daine. Of course, she had brought dinosaurs back to life and destroyed a whole palace when she thought Numair had been killed, so she was really a pot calling the kettle black. "I'm fine," she reassured him.

Getting up, she felt Darkmoon's leg. The break was fully healed.

George stepped out of the stall that held Beauty's Prince. He gave Daine one of his famous smiles that could melt even Queen Thayet's heart. "You seem surprised that she didn' take a break Numair. Don' you know her better'n that?"

Numair sighed.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Hey guys. I'm sorry that it's taken soooooooooooo long for me to update. I just kinda lost interest for a while. Here's more. I'll try to update more often. Oh and by the way, some of this isn't new, butI added a ton to this chapter.

A week later, Atalaya knocked on the door marked "Numair Salmalin." Under it, in a newer metal, it said "Veralidaine Sarrasri." The door opened.

_Please be Daine, please be Daine._ But it wasn't. Numair's tall form filled the door frame.

For the millionth time Atalaya wondered why Numair, who was thirty-seven, was Daine's lover when she was only twenty-three.

"Hi Numair," she said quietly. Numair was so powerful it scared her, no matter how friendly he was now. "Is Daine around? I need to talk to her."

"She's not here right now, but she should be back in half an hour. Come on in." Unlike Atalaya, he was completely comfortable with her.

The two sat in comfortable chairs as Atalaya looked around at their surprisingly well decorated suit. Judging from the rich, colorful fabrics of the rugs and curtains, and the gold frames on beautiful portraits, Numair and Daine had more money than she had thought.

"What did you need to talk about?" Numair asked.

"Well…I heard that…that Daine was—" She stopped. Why was she even trying to tell him this? "I heard that Daine can talk to animals." How had she let that slip out?

"Yes," Numair replied, looking at her strangely. "She's a Wildmage. Why?"

Her treacherous mouth let the words flow without her permission. "Well—it's just—I can sort of—I can do it, too."

Numair stared at her. "Do _what_…exactly?" He didn't believe her.

"I can—" she was sweating. She had never told anyone this, thinking herself a freak. "I can talk to animals, too." The words tumbled out of her mouth as fast as the curses she'd been hearing out of Alanna lately.

Numair stared at her, his mouth open like a cow's. "Daine!" he called.

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That night, Daine, Atalaya, and Numair were standing out by the stable.

Daine said to Atalaya, "Do you see that pony over there? The dapple gray one? Call her, but use your mind. Not your mouth."

Atalaya was nervous and confused. "How can I call her without using my mouth?"

"Atalaya," Numair said, "this is magic. Most of it is done with the mind. In your case all of it is done with the mind. You don't need to use your mouth to call that pony. You've never needed it."

"But if I already know how to call her using sound, why do I need to use my mind?" Atalaya asked. This seemed useless to her.

"Because you may need to talk silently to animals at some point," Numair said confidently. "And you need to learn concentration."

"Just wait till he starts meditation," Daine muttered to Atalaya.

They worked hard until Numair noticed that Atalaya was getting tired. They ended the night with meditation. George and Alanna had come to watch at this point.

They found out that Alanna and George were headed back to Pirate's Swoop in the morning, and they said their goodbyes before going inside to wash.

When Atalaya and Daine were redressing, a question came to Daine. "Atalaya, where are you staying?"

"I've been staying with the Queen's Riders."

"Do you plan to be a Rider?"

"Not really," she replied.

"You could stay with Numair and me," Daine said.

Atalaya gaped. How could Daine, who was good friends with important people like the King and the Lioness, want an orphan like her to stay with her?

"You're my student now. It's important that you stay near me in case I need you," Daine said, as though it was no big deal.

_I don't understand, but it would_ definitely _be helpful_, Atalaya thought. "Okay," she squeaked.

Daine helped her move her stuff from the barracks to Daine's rooms in the palace. Then, they set up a cot in the living room. Atalaya had thought that Numair wouldn't agree, but he thought it was a good idea.

They had dinner of rice and fish, and then banked the fire in the fire place. Atalaya had noticed that Daine and Numair both had been tense during dinner and she wondered if they were already regretting their idea. As Atalaya got ready for bed she could here them talking in their kitchen. She strained her ears, but couldn't hear what they were saying. When they walked into the living room, Numair said, his voice dry, "Get your sleep. We're leaving at dawn."

Trying to hide her frustration as Numair walked into her bedroom, Atalaya asked Daine where they were going. She replied, "Home. To our tower west of Pirate's Swoop." Then she followed Numair into the room.

Atalaya's hopes lifted. Maybe she would get to see the Lioness's home.

…_But dawn?_

Actually, they woke her up two hours _before_ dawn. After getting dressed, they all packed.

"We're going to get you a horse," Numair said. "You're going to need one of your own sooner or later."

"My own horse?" Atalaya's voice cracked.

"Yes. I'm surprised you didn't have one before now, with your magic and all," Daine said.

"We didn't know I had magic. And we didn't have much money," she mumbled.

Daine shut up, seeing she had struck a sensitive matter to the younger girl.

An hour later they were at the stables. Atalaya was surprised to find it full of people. She had stayed with the Rider's and they had always been gone by the time she got up, but she couldn't imagine getting up that early every day.

"Thayet," Numair grabbed a passing woman's arm. "This is Atalaya, our new Wildmage-to-be."

When the woman turned, Atalaya gaped. The Queen was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had an arched nose and a full red mouth. Her hazel eyes looked very green against her ivory skin, and her long, black hair was in a braid, wrapped in a beautiful, but simple, hair style.

"Atalaya, this is Queen Thayet," Numair introduced.

Remembering her manners, she clamped her mouth shut, and shook the hand offered to her. It was callused.

"It's nice to meet you, Atalaya. Are you going to teach this lanky guy to ride properly?"

"Actually," Numair said, "we're here to get her a horse."

"I think Sarge just broke a horse in, but talk to Buri." To Atalaya, she said, "Buri's my commander, guard, and friend, but she's a warrior at heart. Kmiri warriors practically live on horseback. She can find you a good mount."

After meeting with Buri, they went to see Sarge. The big, black man showed them the horse he had broken in, but said that he was too young to ride as hard as they would need on the road.

"This is my horse, General," Sarge said, his thunderous voice gentle as they stopped in front of a stall.

"I couldn't take your horse!" Atalaya gasped, surprised by this sacrifice by someone she had just met.

"Nonsense," was the reply. "You need a horse and I still have Ox, and General'll do right by you."

She entered the stall to pet the coppery colored horse. He was plump and had big, brown eyes. She blew into his muzzle, a trick she had seen Daine do, and he nuzzled her. Atalaya checked him from ear to hoof, muzzle to tail. Then she fed him a sugar lump out of her pocket. He licked her hand, tickling it, and then breathed in her face, making her giggle. "He seems great to me," she said.

Sarge hooked her up with tack and said goodbye to his old friend.

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The next days were filled with mixtures of riding and laughing and lessons. Numair was very funny, and whenever he wasn't making jokes, he and Daine were telling Atalaya about their beautiful tower.

Atalaya could feel herself getting to really like them. _Don't_, she thought. _Don't get attached to them. You're only here to learn all you can. Then you'll leave. They'll hate you when they find out. Everyone will._

They were out of the hilly country with never ending valleys and were getting into farm land. Daine said that after today they would be in forests, and then they would reach the sea.

"Will we stay at the sea for a few days?" she had asked. There was no ocean in Dairtsneg and she was very. interested in seeing one.

Daine laughed. "I loved the sea the first time I saw it too. I was so excited. We'll stay a few days if everything goes well."

Atalaya could hardly wait. That night, they stopped near a stream, so they had fish instead of game or birds. Atalaya was glad for the change. She loved fish. They were getting mud out of the horses' coats when they heard approaching hoof beats.

George jumped off of Prince, a cut from his shoulder to his knee. "Centaurs…and a dragon—they're trying to get to Pirates Swoop. King's Own coming—mud slowing them down…don't know how they are controlling—the dragon…they…" George dropped in a faint.


	7. Chapter 7

AN: Go back and read the last chapter if you're getting this from an author's alert.A LOTwas added.

When George awoke he was dizzy and didn't recognize them. This worried Numair, who knew a little more about healing than the others. Despite the ugly picture George had made for them about the situation at Pirates Swoop, they stayed camped where they were.

Their third day there, Atalaya woke from a nightmare covered in sweat. When she came to her senses she realized it wasn't the dream that scared her, it was the fact that she'd had it. In her dream, George still hadn't gotten better. Finally, he died. This had terrified her dream self. She had run to him and cried.

Atalaya knew then just how much these people meant to her. It was a little before dawn and Atalaya noticed a nauseous feeling in her stomach. When the animals realized she was awake they flocked to her. Atalaya scolded them for making so much noise then comforted each of them. A gray bird with a white stomach and black head told her about the scout who had followed George and that a large troop of Carthaki's were coming, along with strange creatures that are half human and half horse. Of all creatures, Atalaya loved birds more than anything, but at that moment she forgot them. She was torn about what to do. No matter what she did, the situation she had gotten herself into meant an early death.

The sun started to rise and the others started to stir. Atalaya remembered something her mother once told her:

_Listen to your heart before listening to your head. Although the heart doesn't think about death or physical pain, it does think about emotions and feelings, which are far more important. While your mind is screaming about the end of life, your heart is reminding you of the people you love, of the loss of friendship._

A peck from one of her birds brought her back and she jumped up, making her winged friends scatter into the air. Atalaya ran to Daine, who was the most awake. "Daine, trouble. Carthakis, I don't know how many. And centaurs."

Daine reacted immediately, waking the others and clearing the camp. Atalaya could feel the nearby animals' restlessness. She rolled up her bedroll. Finally, her common sense overcame her heart and she turned and ran into the woods as fast as she could go.

Only when she stopped to catch her breath did she notice the sedge wren on her shoulder. She lowered the female to her lap and stroked her while she tried to sort out her thoughts. Her head ached and she just didn't feel right. Suddenly she remembered George, sick and unable to fight, unable to even walk.

Again, Atalaya tore through the forest, trying to find the camp. When she couldn't find her way back she sat down and cried in frustration and confusion. Then she heard a harsh two notes, then a trill. The sedge wren landed on the ground in front of her.

_Follow me_, she said, and flew off.

Atalaya jumped up and ran after her. The small bird led her right into camp. Atalaya dragged George to the edge of the woods and found herself out of breath. This would be harder than she thought. Luckily for her, George had lost a lot of weight in the last few days and she managed to drag him so far away that she couldn't hear the sounds of battle.

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Numair had forgotten about George until he saw Atalaya carry him off into the forest. He knew then that George was safe. He didn't have time to think about the two of them, though, because he was busy with centaurs.

Daine, on the other hand, didn't see Atalaya take George to safety. She had taken George's sword from its sheath when Atalaya first told her about the Carthakis. Now she put it to use.

There were ten Carthakis all together. Numair was dealing with the centaurs. One of the Carthaki swordsmen attacked without warning. Daine, who hadn't used a sword in a long time, wasn't fast enough and the enemy's sword cut deeply into her thigh. He did another complex move and Daine barely jumped out of the way in time. She tried an overhand pass, and then turned the sword sharply. If the Carthaki hadn't blocked just in time, she would have killed him. Hearing a sound behind her, she did a move that made her shoulder scream but ripped open the attacker behind her from chest to stomach.

The enemy she had been attacking used this distraction to his advantage. He swept the sword up and under, she blocked him, fell back, then lunged forward, aiming for his unguarded side. She ran him through.

Daine charged the last remaining person, also a swordsman. They locked body-to-body, hilt-to-hilt, until she broke away. She lunged back in instantly.

"Daine!" Numair yelled.

Daine jumped back and Numair shot and killed him with a bolt of magic. The last of them dead, Daine and Numair went into the woods to find George and Atalaya.

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They found her. She never thought they would, with the big battle coming up, but they had something to discuss with her. Weylin himself came. The leader of all this mess she had gotten herself into.

Atalaya was alone. The sedge wren, whom she had named Trill, had flown off to find herself a snack. Atalaya had hidden George nearby in case there was trouble.

They came out of the woods silently, him and his thugs. She had been sitting, her back against a tree, but when she saw them, Atalaya got to her knees.

Weylin dragged her up roughly. "You didn't follow orders," he growled in his beautiful, but harsh voice. He was very handsome. Atalaya would have been attracted to him if he didn't treat her, and everyone else, like slime. "Surely you know more than you are telling."

Atalaya opened her mouth to protest, but he back-handed her violently and knocked her down. His thug, Armand, pointed his sword at her throat. Weylin opened his mouth to say more, when, of all things that could happen, George stirred. They all froze. Weylin signaled to his other two body guards to search while his third kept his sword at Atalaya's throat. Atalaya prayed.

Unfortunately, the gods did not have mercy on her. Uriah, another of Weylin's thugs, dragged George out of his hiding place. George, who was still sick, just hung loosely in his grip.

Weylin never got angry. Instead he just smiled and his eyes glittered. Invisible hands gripped Atalaya's throat and lifted her from the ground. She clawed at her throat, trying to get the hands off. Sweat poured down her face as everything faded. Just before she passed out she heard a trill.


End file.
